About Twisted Spoke

It is almost embarrassing to admit how much I love the sport. I can get passionate about every facet–the history and traditions, the famous riders and personalities, from Anquetil to Hinault to Merckx to Armstrong.

I love the equipment, the wheels, the gear ratios, the sound of the cranks turning, the adrenaline on a fast descent, the hard climb, driving the pedals. I like lycra, micro-fiber, cool, absurdly over-priced sunglasses, I like the classic steel frames, the carbon art forms, the ti goodies that never stop coming.

I love the sounds of cycling, the landmarks of the great races. Paris-Roubaix, Le Ronde, the Vuelta d’Espana, Giro and the Tour. Vive le tout. Sestriere, Alpe d’Huez, Tormalet, the Arenberg Forest and Carrefour l’Arbre, the moonscape of Mont Ventoux.

I love the stunning countryside of Italy, France and Spain, the small towns, the hill top chateaux, the tifosi yelling encouragement on the road. I love the familiar voices of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.

I love the fitness, the purity of the effort, the transfer of power, the lactic acid, the bursting lungs, the red zone, the heart rate monitor going anaerobic. I love the crashes, the demon descents, the relentless climbs. I like the recovery, the roadside cafe, the cappuccino.

Starting to get the picture? Yeah. So I started Twisted Spoke almost four years ago to write about pro road racing, mostly in Europe but the big US races, too. And guess what? I love writing about cycling. (For my top ten tips on blogging and TS, click here.)

I have now covered the Tour of California for Pez and Cycle Sort Magazine. Then I did the entire Tour de France (whew!) writing for Cycle Sport and Joe Parkin at Bike Magazine. It’s become a wild and fun ride.

Thanks for reading. Reader comments really make the writing a pleasure.